1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a sewage disposal apparatus for disposing of raw sewage, which apparatus can be utilized in the outdoors, in a transportation vehicle such as a vessel or train, or in a tunnel through which a tank truck used for collecting raw sewage (hereinafter referred to as a vacuum truck) cannot go and, more particularly, relates to such an apparatus which is provided with a dust collector capable of removing the dust that remains in the apparatus after drying the raw sewage and a heating means for heating catalyst means capable of undergoing long use and facilitating maintenance and inspection thereof.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The raw sewage discharged from human bodies is typically discharged into a sewage system by use of a flush toilet or the like and then is flowed into a river after being temporarily stored in a holding tank and purified therein. However, at events such as festivals, athletic events, fairs, meetings and the like, temporary toilet facilities must be provided to dispose of raw human waste.
Employed conventionally are movable temporary toilets, most of which have a tank for temporarily storing the raw sewage therein. However, the temporary toilets have the problem that the raw sewage stored in the tank must be sucked into a vacuum truck for collection, which is laborious and time consuming, for maintenance thereof after use of them, and is unhygienic.
Transportation vehicles, such as buses, trains, vessels, etc., which operate over long distance are provided with a tank exclusively used for storing and holding the discharged raw sewage. The raw sewage in this tank is subjected to a deodorizing treatment by chemicals and thereafter is collected by the vacuum truck.
As mentioned above, the raw sewage in conventional temporary toilets or movable transportation facilities is stored as it is discharged from the human body and is collected thereafter. Accordingly, the storing method, the collection method and the disposal method all are not modern and very unhygienic.
In an attempt to ameliorate the above problems, there have been proposed several hygienic disposal methods. In one method, for example, chemicals are introduced into the tank where the raw sewage is stored to thereby prevent the bad smell and to effect sterilization of the sewage. This is mainly employed in the transportation industry, such as on trains like the Shinkansen Express in Japan. This method, however, cannot be used for a long period of time because the chemicals become diluted and costs are high.
In another method, the raw sewage is stored in a bag made of vinyl and the like to prevent the diffusion of the bad smell. This method, however, requires a vinyl bag of large size and involves a high cost for disposal thereof, and it is troublesome to separate the raw sewage from the bag.
In still another method, the discharged raw sewage is directly dried by use of heat from a burner, etc. Since the primary component of raw sewage is liquid, a large amount of heat energy is required to remove the liquid and it takes a long time to effect disposal of the raw sewage.
In view of the drawbacks of the conventional methods of disposing of the raw sewage, the present inventor proposed a disposing apparatus having a casing provided with stirring blades and heat holding bodies therein in which the raw sewage is stirred by the rotation of the stirring blades and heated by heat generated by the heat holding bodies whereby the raw sewage is dried in a short period of time as disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication Nos. 63-124150, 63-172852, 63-190857, 63-292789 and Application No. 63-198858, corresponding to U.S. Ser. No. 315,028, now U.S. Pat. No. 4,999,930, and its divisional application Ser. No. 609,378, filed Nov. 5, 1990. According to the proposed disposal methods, the raw sewage is heated, vaporized in a casing and the liquid component of the raw sewage is vaporized and diffused into the ambient atmosphere. Before the liquid component is diffused, the components which cause a bad smell are resolved by a catalyst so that the vapor is diffused into the atmosphere as an odorless vapor. It was preferable to employ such a method in view of environmental hygiene and preservation even if such method is employed in crowded buildings and/or by throngs of people.
Another related U.S. application is Ser. No. 575,910, filed Aug. 29, 1990.